Latch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. S. WINCHESTER.

4 LATGE. Y

No. 416,312. Patented Dec. 3,1889.

KIHHM M ilillli Z/ \XW M 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ED VVARD S. WVINGHESTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,312, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed March 9, 1889. Serial No. 802,691. (No model.)

To alZ whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. WINoHEs- TER, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Latches, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to latches employed for sliding doors in which the latchbolt has a hooked end, which engages the keeper by a rising and falling motion.

My invention is intended, first, to provide for the retraction of these hooked latches within the latch-case when they are not in action; and, second, to provide for automatically locking them when retracted and automatically releasing them when the door is closed. To this end I mount my latch-bolt on a pivotal support, which admits of the bolt rising and falling at its hooked end, and also of its moving bodily endwise in order that it may pass into and out of the casing. I combine with this bolt an actuating-spring, which tends to move it outward and downward, and a detent, which acts to hold it inward and upward.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented the preferred details of construction; but it will be apparent to the skilled mechanic, after a reading of this specification, that the details may be modified in many respects without essentially changing the principle of operation or departing from the limits of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is Y a perspective view of my latch in position on a door. Fig. 2 is a view showing the casing in section and the operative parts in side elevation, the latch being engaged. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on the line y y ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line ,2 z of Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 5 is an outline view illustrating certain modifications.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the door, B the door jamb or casing, and C the latch-case, which may be made of any form adapted to receive. the operative parts, hereinafter dscribed. This casing is provided in one side with an opening 0, to permit the introduction of the hand, for a purpose which will presently appear, and is also provided in its face with an opening 0, for the passage of the latch-bolt.

D is the latch-bolt, having at its outer end the hook or shoulder cl. At the inner end it is provided with a longitudinal slot d, and mounted on a roller d extending through the slot and supported on a central fixed stud (1 attached to the case. It is to be observed that the latch is permitted to swing vertically at its outer end around the roller (1 as a center, and that by means of the slot it is also permitted to play endwise, so that it may be projected beyond the case and lowered at the outer end to the position shown in Fig. 2, or lifted and drawn endwise within the case, as shown by dotted lines in the same figure.

At the inner end the latch is provided with a roller (1 above and in rear of its fulcrum. This roller is acted upon by the upper end of a long spring E, which is fixed atthe lower end firmly within the case. The spring serves to urge the latch both outward and downward.

The latch is formed on the under side with a shoulder or projection d and with an inclined face d extending upward and forward therefrom. A hand-lever F, having its lower extremity mounted on a fixed pivot f at the bottom of the case, extends thence upward across the opening in the case, and is provided at the upper end with a roller f, which rests beneath the inclined surface d of the latch-bolt, which presses the lever normally forward to the position shown in Fig. 2. When the hand-lever F is urged in the direction indicated by the arrow, its roller acts against the surface d first to lift the hooked end of the latch, disengaging the same from the keeper, after which the roller encounters the shoulder d and, overcoming the spring E, forces the latch bodily backward into the case until it assumes the position shown in dotted lines. In order to hold the latch in thisposition, the angular detent G is pivoted within the case at g and. provided at one end with a shoulder g to engage the lateral studf formed on the side of the hand-lever. The lower end of this detent is provided with a stud g exposed through an opening 0 in the front of the latch-case. A spring H, secured to the latch-case, acts on the detent and urges its shouldered end downward toward the projection on the hand- ICO lever. hen, therefore, the hand-levereompletes its movement in retracting the latch,

the detent engages the shoulder f and holds the lever in position, the lever in turn holding the latch in its retracted position, as shown by dotted lines.

The door-casing is provided with a stud or or projection I in suitable position to enter the opening a and act upon the detent. \Vhen, therefore, the door is closed, the detent is antomatically tripped out of engagement with the lever and the latter released, so that it in turn releases the latch-bolt, which is thereupon thrust outward by the action of the spring E and then turned downward around the roller (Z as acenter into engagement with the keeper.

\Vhen my latch is applied to the doors of elevator-cars and landings, the handbpening will be exposed only on one side of the door.

In order that the latch may be operated from the opposite side of the door, I elongate the pivot-pin (1 as shown in Fig. 3, and provide a key hole through which to introduce a key J, having a hooked bit to engage beneath and raise the latch, the elongated pivot serving as a stud or pintle to support the key.

It is obvious that the stud (Z and slot (i may be replaced by any equivalent devices known in the art which will allow the bolt both a swinging and a reciprocating motion.

As regards the mounting of the latch-bol the essential requirement is that it shall be capable of moving vertically to engage and disengage the keeper, and also adapted to retreat longitudinally within the case. Instead of providing it with a slotted end to ride on a stationary stud, as in Fig. 2, it may be pivoted closely on a stud (Z the stud being in turn mounted on a slide (i moving on suitable horizontal guides (1", as shown in Fig. 5.

Other and similar modes of supporting the bolt so that it may receive the two motions described will be apparent to the skilled mechanic.

\Vhile it is preferred that the spring E shall act on the latch to urge the bolt both upward and downward, the downward motion may be secured by gravity, as in other latches, and without the assistance of the spring. Of

course the detcut which holds the latch-bolt in its retracted and elevated position may be arranged to engage a projection on said bolt, as shown in Fig. 5, instead of engaging the hand-lever, as in the first described form.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of a case, a hooked latch-bolt mounted, substantially as described and shown, to swing vertically and also move endwise into the case, and a spring to project said bolt, whereby the bolt is permitted to retreat within the case after being disengaged from the keeper.

The combination of the latch-case, the hooked pivoted bolt movable vertically and longitudinally, as shown and described, and the spring acting on the bolt above and behind its pivot, whereby the bolt is projected endwise beyond the case and its hooked end caused to swing into engagement with the keeper.

The latch-case, the hooked bolt adapted to move both longitudinally and laterally, and the spring acting to project and depress the bolt, in combination with the hand-lever acting against the edge of the bolt, substantially as described and shown.

t. The latch-case, the hooked bolt mounted to swing vertically and to retreat endwise within the case, and the spring to project the bolt, in combination with an automatic detent, substantially as shown, to hold the bolt in its lifted and retracted position.

5. The case, the vertically and longitudinally movable hooked bolt as shown, and the projecting spring, in combination with the lever to retract the bolt and the spring-zeta ated detent to engage the lever.

6. In combination with the latch-bolt mounted to move vertically and longitudinally, as described, and the spring for projecting the same, the extended pivot-pin (1 adapted to receive a latch-operating key, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of February, 1880, in the presence of two attesting witnesses.

\Vitncsses:

HARRY W. AIKEN, R. HENRY MARSH. 

